Well for what's it is worth i read through a long list of Elmore's voting on issues. Seems like a guy I would like to see follow on through.

No data available on Blevins. Going by judgement of appropriations of funding by the current commision board I'm not too pleased. So I'm going Nay to Blevins.

Now if Blevins had some place to find his standing on issues. That would be great. I can see Elmore's voting on subjects quite easily. Blevins as I said before doesn't have much on my searches over google besides his same sex marriage vote.

phillyjoe

Posted 8:24 pm, 03/30/2014

Should your Representative own a home and pay taxes on said home?

EeeWee

Posted 8:19 pm, 03/30/2014

My granny says " Put them both in a paper bag and see who comes out first".

Boreman

Posted 8:16 pm, 03/30/2014

Has Wilkes County done anything worth while for anyone? So send a Wilkes County Commission to Raleigh. Elmore from a good family and good education.

phillyjoe

Posted 8:01 pm, 03/27/2014

I think a person duly elected to a public office that is passing and making laws that affect the public. These elected officials should be a taxpaying individual. Such as Homeowner etc.

blimey2

Posted 7:42 pm, 03/27/2014

Elmore

t_eldeberry

Posted 12:35 am, 03/07/2014

Blevins: 5

Elmore: 2

Good thoughts….keep them coming. Maybe either will post they're own thoughts on here.

40X

Posted 10:49 pm, 03/05/2014

I think those are all good ideas. Over the years I think they have gotten carried away with regulations, some necessary, and some not.

When you weigh the start up cost of a small business, and plan on spending money that you have in your hand, it makes more sense to invest the $ in mutual funds and save yourself headaches, and lower your risk of losing at the same time.

Unfortunately, most small business end up barely breaking even or operating at a loss, and just end up being tax collectors for the state/county. I agree that they need all the help they can get.

I'm not running for election. You will need to ask the folks who are in office what they've accomplished.In view of the poor economy and job loss from all the factories closing or moving, if they managed just to maintain, they've done well over the past several years IMO.

What areas would you like to see improvement in? How would you have done it differently. Admittedly, I just pay my taxes and don't pay enough attention to how/why they spend it. But, Wilkes is a big county and it takes a lot of $ to keep up all of the programs.

FWIW, I've spoken many times that I would like to see a much, much, much larger focus on small and micro businesses in the area. With more than 5,000 micro businesses in Wilkes alone, there's a huge opportunity here that we've basically ignored for at at least 10 years.

I'll grant you that the county has made strides for this demographic by offering micro loans through the EDC. But IMO, this is a small drop in the bucket. A $10,000 loan is helpful, but a micro business might need $100,000+, and simply no option to get it.

I was just talking with a micro business a few days ago who told me that in order to get her business started, she had to spend $20,000 (I think?) in seemingly minor renovations: $900 for an exit sign, several thousand dollars for a right-side-flushing toilet, cement borders to go around her gravel parking lot, etc. For a new business, that's $20,000 that could have paid for marketing, helping to keep the business alive for the first year, or even a new employee (all of which would help the business grow), but was instead used on things that have no promise of a return, and just made it harder for her to do business.

So the short answer here is that I would like to see a lot more support for the small business, and a lot less red tape. With the director of the EDC gone, we also need to recruit a hire a new EDC director that has small and micro businesses in his mind at all times.

With Blevins being a small business owner himself, I hope that he understands these issues and can act in the interests of the small business. I will admit, though, that I haven't paid enough attention to his term as a commissioner, so I can't say whether he has proven this so far. But over the last several years, I have seen changes in this direction, so I'm hoping that this is a positive reflection on Blevins.

This isn't meant to be a negative statement against Elmore in any way. Again, I haven't paid a lot of attention to his votes while in state office. I would encourage both Blevins and Elmore to reply, though, and cite any votes or changes that they have made to help small businesses while currently in office.

Hunter S Thompson

Posted 9:25 pm, 03/05/2014

Blevins has a serious case of optical rectitis, it ain't even funny. Huge ego, mega ego. His sheet don't sink.

40X

Posted 9:06 pm, 03/05/2014

I'm not running for election. You will need to ask the folks who are in office what they've accomplished.

In view of the poor economy and job loss from all the factories closing or moving, if they managed just to maintain, they've done well over the past several years IMO.

What areas would you like to see improvement in? How would you have done it differently. Admittedly, I just pay my taxes and don't pay enough attention to how/why they spend it. But, Wilkes is a big county and it takes a lot of $ to keep up all of the programs.

Boreman

Posted 8:58 pm, 03/05/2014

Please tell me anything that the county commission have done but to spend the county tax payers money anything at all that is good for our county .

40x

Posted 8:55 pm, 03/05/2014

Talley up another one for Blevins.

t_eldeberry

Posted 8:40 pm, 03/05/2014

so far:

Blevins: 3

Elmore: 1

thank you all who voted early ;)

Casual Observer

Posted 7:54 pm, 03/05/2014

Hopefully Blevins...if Elmore were to get beat I'm sure he'd just come back to North Wilkesboro, run for town commissioner again and help continue to run the town in the ground like the majority of the current elected "officials" (idiots) and town management.

At least in Raleigh Elmore's opinion is diluted.

antithesis

Posted 11:17 pm, 03/04/2014

I've met both candidates, and like them both, personally. But this shouldn't be a popularity contest.

IMO, Elmore is more or less led by the good old boys of North Wilkesboro. I don't even know if he realizes it, but it's clear to the rest of us.

As a county commissioner, Blevins has done some good things, and I think he does what he thinks is best without so much influence. Further, since he was a county commissioner, he's more likely to understand what the county needs than Elmore, who only served as a town commissioner for a short time.

So with that said, my vote will go to Blevins.

t_eldeberry

Posted 10:58 pm, 03/04/2014

Thank yall for the input. I am sorry but I am 84 and can't see too good. Apologies for the spelling.

Are you serious?

Posted 10:19 pm, 03/04/2014

Well my "grown" opinion is that neither candidate is better than the other. Elmore has the IQ of a rock and Blevins is such an arrogant jerk he can't see beyond his own self to care about others.

phillyjoe

Posted 8:54 pm, 03/04/2014

No effect locally.They will be pulled around Raleigh by the ring in their nose.

40X

Posted 8:15 pm, 03/04/2014

One of the Blevins guy needs to change his name, to dadgum confusin"!!!!